Posted on 06/04/2014 6:23:35 PM PDT by TNoldman
I just called Obama to see if he could help you out. He said since you were 79 years old, that you were $hit out of luck, told me to tell you to just take some pain pills.
Get it sooner rather than later. The more deterioration the longer the recovery. Make sure you ask your surgeon how many hips he has done. It should be a high figure. Practice makes perfect. Some guys have done 500 or more. The more the better.
If you are lucky and follow the physical therapy regimen you could be back to normal in about 3 months. That’s if it goes really well. 6-12 months for full recovery is not unusual. If you are bone on bone you don’t have another viable option.
My sister had both hips replaced within a short period of time. She was in her 80’s when she had it done. Relieved pain about 90%, been living with sciatica for years. One was 100% good and the other still gives her some problems from time to time, but nothing like it was before surgery
Steroids won’t fix the bone-on-bone situation.
Muscle improvement and tendon improvement. I’d use a cane because I will eventually need one anyway(knee).
I’d look at Yoga. I’d look at weight training. At 79, your biggest threat is the hospital.
If you are doing statin drugs, I would look at alternatives. They cause leg weakness (dealing with it now at 56)
The operation itself isn't fun...but not horrible either.Expect difficulties for 2 months (or more) after surgery.Expect post op therapy that's not at all fun.But if you're like me you'll be asking yourself "why did I wait so long?" about 3 months post op.
Also expect to get clearance from your primary care doc...if not others as well (I need cardiology clearance as well).
It's a nothing deal.
I had both knees replaced last year, and met lots of fellow patients who had had both surgeries. Hips are simpler than knees. Not nearly as many moving parts. Knees are a marvel of engineering, with many moving parts. The more complicated the part, the trickier the replacement.
One day,during one of my post op PT sessions I was telling the therapist how much I hated him (actually how much I hated the sessions) and he replied,in a whisper,"see that guy over there? He had a knee replacement.Hip replacements are a piece of cake compared to knee replacements".
Don’t even think about waiting. I’m 74 and had it done last August. Couldn’t walk 100 feet. Went to the Rothman clinic in Philadelphia and had Dr. Rothman himself do it. He has done over 30,000 and designed his own joint, after being dissatisfied with what was on the market. They use the spread the muscle technique and don’t use the minimum invasion deal because he says it limits the view too much.
I was awake and saw the old joint and the new one before it went in. Operation was done ay 9:00 AM and I was walking at 1:00 PM. Went home the next day.
Also had a shoulder done a few years ago and that was a much tougher deal. This wasn’t really hard to recover from, but you need to do the therapy and the exercises religiously.
After 10 months I never think about it, and can do most anything I want to do. Haven’t kick started my Triumph motorcycle yet though.
Check to see which hospitals, and doctors do the most replacements in your area. Those doctors should be the ones you check out further. Don’t rely on your doctor, check this stuff out yourself, the web can allow you to do that in mere hours.
Also, check out rehab centers to go to following the surgery. Have a couple in mind in case one is full when you need it. Often the rehab is required by the insurance for this procedure, and they will provide the key elements to a fast recovery.
I transport a lot of hip replacement patients from Hospital to rehab, it’s a rare patient who has problems or is unhappy about things.
My mother — who is in her early 80s — had a hip replacement a year ago when it could no longer be avoided because one of her hip joints was down to bone grinding on bone. As it was, my mother recovered quickly from surgery and blitzed through rehab. Not everyone is so fortunate, but I give my mother credit for hard work in rehab and her determination to be active and mobile in spite of her years.
That scares me a little as I am going to need a knee replacement.
People *do* have successful knee replacements.In fact,many do.They,like hip replacements,are a little more difficult than a dental filling but,as I said earlier...after about 3 months I was saying to myself (and others) "why did I wait so long?"
So expect an ordeal for a while...but satisfaction for years after that.
My wife had her knee replaced in January.
The first few weeks were rough; the doctor finally decided he’d have to “manipulate” the knee because of limited mobility. The procedure consisted of giving her a general anesthesia and bending her knee back as far as it would go.
She immediately noticed improvement and her rehabilitation progressed rapidly from that point.
My mother has had both hips replaced. She says it was the best decision she ever made. My advice to you if you decide to get it is to get it done as soon as possible. Because in another year or two of Obamacare, they will write up new rules with age cut-offs for hip and knee replacements.
Hip replacement is well understood and will give you great relief. Do it NOW before the system won’t let you because you are too old.
Make sure your arthropod has done a significant number. You are in a large city there should be plenty of sports and specialty docs available.
None of this will relieve the bone on bone condition that this man has....
Wife had one twenty years ago after falling and breaking her femur - lots easier today than back then we’re told by her doc - she’s still going strong - good luck.....
Get it done right now, before obamanation care kicks in completely and they just decide to let you die.
As soon as you are on your feet after surgery (and don’t lay on your ass just because it hurts) get out and walk.
Yes; it will hurt, but you know what your normal stride was like before your hip started giving you problems.
That is the stride you have to make yourself take with every step.
After the first 2 blocks(if you live in a city); you will be in a lot of pain, go one more block.
Then turn around and walk home, make sure you keep a normal stride all the way.
I know it’s miserable but speaking from experience I know it works.
I live in a very rural area so for me it was three tenths of a mile one way, and same back to the house.
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